Books or iPads? As part of a larger pilot study, students at a Riverside, California...

Books or iPads? As part of a larger pilot study, students at a Riverside, California middle school, will compare the learning of algebra by students using iPads versus students using the traditional algebra textbook with the same author and publisher.20 To remove teacher-to-teacher variation, the same teacher will teach both classes, and the iPad and textbook material are both provided by the same author and publisher. Suppose that after 1 month, 10 students were selected from each class and their scores on an algebra advancement test recorded. The summarized data follow.

a. Use the summary data to test for a significant difference in advancement scores for the two groups using α = .05.

b. Find a 95% confidence interval for the difference in mean scores for the two groups.

c. In light of parts a and b, what can we say about the efficacy of using an iPad versus a traditional textbook in learning algebra at the middle school level?